Wednesday, November 23, 2016

What is Internet of Things:

Internet of Things is extremely trending topic these days in the field of automation and networking. Internet of Things offers advanced connectivity of devices, systems or services and thus making communication things simpler. The word 'Things' of IoT is a very broad term and can be referred in heart monitoring systems, automobiles with built-in sensors or security systems. IoT collects information from various sources and autonomously transmits the information between devices.

Examples of IoT in our daily life:

The examples of IoT in our daily life include home automation where the switching on and switching off of smart lamps, auto heating systems, air conditioning systems, robotic vacuums etc.

There is one very good example to explain what really is the IoT. Broadband penetration these days have widened. We have evolved from wire to wire connection to a Wi-Fi connectivity where devices share a network connection. Hence the cost of connectivity has drastically decreased due to Wi-Fi networking. This is exactly Internet of Things.Simply speaking, IoT is connecting two devices with internet with an on and off switch whereby the information is auto transmitted between the devices.IoT came in to existence due to the advancement of many technologies which have to convergently work together to produce the required output. The technologies like embedded systems, wireless sensor networks, control systems, automation brought the IoT to play a key role.

What exactly is IoT:

Internet of Things(IoT) term coined by Kevin Ashton. Any device embedded with a function to connect to internet forms a part of IoT. It is the extension of network connectivity and computing capability to objects, devices, sensors or any other item not ordinarily considered as computers.

How is IoT impacting people:

NowaDays, we witness a majority of homes equipped with security and privacy devices.Most of them come with no proper regulations in terms of software and are security vulnerable. The results of this can be drastic.This is evidenced from the two major incidents in recent times one that involved 'Marai 'botnet reported by security intelligence company 'Flash point'. The net has hacked smart devices in homes in the US .The distributed denial of service attacks targeted Dyn ,large domain server which led to shut down of major websites that included twitter, Spotify,Pinterest, PayPal, Newyork times to name a few.The second that involved Brian Krebs, a security researcher.His website termed 'Krebs on security' got offline. Here also the hacker used Marai software to overwhelm Krebs website. As a result of which around 145000 devices were affected, many of which involved easily accessible passwords like 1234.

To deal with this type complex situations many tech industry giants such as Google, Intel, Microsoft and Verizon came forward and joined with former FCC (Federal communication commission) Chief technologist, Date hetfield to form Broadband internet technical advisory group(BITAG) which gives recommendations for the internet of things (IoT).

BITAG laid out the following recommendations for IoT devices. IoT devices must adapt current best software practices.some of which include:

IoTdevice manufacturers must secure communications through Transport layer security (TLS) or light weight security(LWS). If the devices depend on public key infrastructure(PKI) manufacturers must ensure to cancel certificates by an authorized entity when they are attacked, devices must continue function if internet or cloud connectivity fails.

Subscribe via email

About Praveen PenugondaHave interests in multiple aspects and write articles on Technology, Lifestyle and Finance. Tracking developments since the launch of Nokia 1100 and completion of Human Genome Project